In Which We Die
by TheWestDriver
Summary: Drabbles about the death of ATLA characters. Rated for violence, language, and content. Massive character deaths. Includes Zhao, Toph, Smellerbee, Azula, Suki, Iroh, Sokka, Mai, Lu Ten, Aang, Katara, Ty Lee, Zuko, Teo, Jet, Sozin, Longshot, Yue, and more.
1. Zhao

A/N: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Just a warning: I'd steer clear of this story if you don't like violence.

This was the beginning of a little challenge for myself. I wanted to do a series of 300 word drabbles about the deaths of ATLA characters. Obviously, these wouldn't occur in the Nickelodeon version, but I think a darker Avatar is fun to write. Enjoy.

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**Zhao - Hubris**

The fish was easy to kill. After all, it was only a fish, and the grotto was empty except for Zhao. In the cold, he could feel his fire run through his veins, twisting its course up to his palms. The moon-fish flopped as it burned, and then the sky changed colors.

Zhao was ecstatic.

How many Fire Nation Admirals could claim they had slain the moon itself? He would single-handedly destroy the Water Tribe with his power.

In his joy, he never saw the young woman turn a heavenly white color, kissing the young man she left behind. Zhao did not see the boy weep and pull out his boomerang.

Zhao did not see him approach from behind, swinging the curved blue metal down on his temple. But he certainly felt it. He brought up his arms to defend himself, but the pain was intense. With an upswing, Sokka broke his left hand. Zhao came to the awful conclusion that was being killed.

The boy shrieked like an animal every time his boomerang met Zhao's skull. As he pounded, the Admiral tried to ignite his hands. His fire went out like wispy matches as Sokka smashed his head again and again.

"Yue," moaned Sokka, swinging his boomerang wildly under the moon.

_Thud_. It caught Zhao's forehead. _Crunch. _His teeth were knocked out.

He ignored the sickening slosh-noise that Zhao was making as his eyes rolled backwards. "Yue," Sokka groaned as his boomerang made another pass.

Still standing by some fluke, Zhao's body finally landed face-first in the ground. Not that he had much of a face left. Blood poured from above his shoulders, creeping its way into the pure water of grotto.

The boomerang landed in the grass, splashing blood against Sokka's feet.

His mittens were a dirty reddish-brown.


	2. Smellerbee

**Smellerbee – Accident**

It had been a difficult process to get the Freedom Fighters to help the Avatar, but Smellerbee understood why. She was being chased through a forest by three of the Fire Nation's elite. Three young women, and one was a princess she was fairly certain. The tall one and the one in armor chased the other Fighters.

But the flexible girl in pink matched Smellerbee move for move on the ground. She was having a hard time swinging her swords in such a confined space.

Using her agility, she climbed a tree and stood on its thick branches. She could swing her swords more easily here.

Ty Lee followed the Freedom Fighter with a smile. It was a game to her, a very fun game. Avoiding every swing from Smellerbee, Ty Lee blocked the qi flow in one of her arms.

The shock on the other girl's face was evident. Her sword dropped from her hand and landed in the leaves below. Not willing to lose, she continued the fight with her other arm.

Ty Lee saw the frustration in her body. She decided to block all of her qi and simply end the game. It was becoming less fun. Striking against the back of both knees and her good arm, Ty Lee stood up slowly.

Smellerbee crumbled against the tree limb and slipped off. Her face was fearful as she watched her opponent on the way down. She was not going to land on her feet.

The girl opened her mouth as if to yell, "No!" But no words came out.

The last thing Smellerbee heard was the sound of her own neck breaking.

Suddenly, Ty Lee knew what she had done. She killed a girl. _Killed_ her. And she would never forget the sound bodies make on impact.

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A/N: I always felt like there would be more accidents when so many young people are fighting. It almost can't be helped. Read and review.


	3. Azulon

**Azulon – Grin**

It was a smile only for Ursa: lecherous, slimy, and perverted. He would grin for her when she came alone to visit, leaving his dull eyes and wrinkled face in the same position and only moving his thin, dry lips. Every time she saw it she wanted to leave the room and take a bath to wash the look from her mind and body. She felt violated in his presence.

He knew when she entered his chamber that she would kill him. Her slender wrist bore a standard issue Fire Nation Army knife that she did not bother to hide from his eyes. Her amber eyes were bloodshot.

"Fire Lady Ursa," he licked his lips. "You traitorous bitch."

She was not looking at him, "Ozai says Zuko will be killed."

The old man hacked out a laugh, but said nothing.

She grimaced at him, "He's your grandson! Zuko is your blood!"

Azulon, who never smiled at anyone else, grinned, "Then my blood will be spilled."

Her red robes flashed to the bedside. "You may not have my son!" she screamed, plunging her blade into him. The dagger wiggled out of his sternum like a mother shaking her finger at a naughty child.

Wheezing, Azulon grabbed her hair and spat into her face.

"What a brave little whore," he smiled, snaking his wrinkled hands even deeper into her hair. Ursa pulled back, ripping out a chunk of hair. His body spasm shook the whole bed like an earthquake.

Azulon's heart ruptured and his eyes closed, but his disgusting lips stayed upturned.

Ursa moved slowly, as if sleepwalking, and unlatched her hair from his fingers. She would leave no evidence but the knife.

"Zuko is safe now," she said aloud to the corpse_._

But even in death, Azulon's smile told her otherwise.

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	4. Toph

**Toph – Blindsided**

The archer was not afraid to murder. He had been raised to hit targets, breathing or not, and disappear in the blink of an eye.

Princess Azula hired him two nights ago to kill, or "exterminate" as she had so ruthlessly put it, one of her most bothersome enemies. Not the Avatar, but one of his comrades. She smiled and said it was simply to remove some spring from his step. Dead friends had a way of doing that.

The archer agreed without hesitation. She was paying him very well.

He arrived at Ba Sing Se near an old tea shop and watched his target with an exacting eye. She was much younger than he anticipated, comparing her to the group of people she was with.

He had not asked his employer why she needed an archer for the job, but it did not take him long to figure it out.

The target was blind. She was the Earthbender that people whispered could see through her feet. She could block attacks before they happened by feeling the shifting weight on the earth. He pulled his bowstring taut, aiming his arrow. She could not see an attack from the air until it was too late.

With a sharp _plink_ the arrow released and met its mark.

It was a good shot. A lung shot. Her body staggered backwards, leaving sandy footprints on the ground.

The arrow barely stuck from her chest, having pierced all the way through to her back. Her face warped into a mask of confusion, leaving her sightless eyes to wander the area above her head.

He could see her lips form the word, "What?" before she shuddered and died.

Leaving his post, the archer heard her friends screaming her name.

"Toph!" he heard them cry, far too late.

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	5. Azula

**Azula – Fratricide**

Zuko was undoubtedly dead from the lightning. His chest sputtered little puffs of smoke and his eyes remained wide open. Katara was certain.

But she could hardly see Zuko curled in the sand. She pictured Sokka, back coiled in a crescent moon, dead at his own sister's hands.

_It would be like me killing Sokka_, she thought blandly.

So, with justified rage and limited judgment, she attacked Azula. The Firebender was powerful under the comet, leaving Katara gasping for breath and desperate for a plan.

It was then she saw the chain and rushing water. Raising and freezing the river below their feet, she stopped Azula just before a fatal blow.

But stopping her wasn't enough. She needed to die.

She let the remaining water fall once Azula was chained to the grate. The Princess screamed, but Katara stayed in place behind her, summoning a palm-sized amount of water into her hand.

"He's your brother," she said to no one in particular before covering Azula's mouth and nose.

Thrashing and choking, Azula screamed fire into Katara's hands, instantly boiling the water.

Much more violently than she intended, Katara summoned another huge bubble that covered her whole face. Azula shook, eyes bulging, and beat her body against Katara in every way she could to stop the drowning.

"He's your brother," Katara repeated, weeping and holding down harder on her captive.

With a last great tremor, Azula fell backwards, knees buckled beneath her. Her eyes were wide like Zuko's, only her face was gray from asphyxiation.

Katara stood alone with the royal family of the Fire Nation.

"He's your brother," she intoned softly. "I would never kill my brother." She stumbled away, waiting to be found by her friends.

_I would kill you though, Azula, _she wept and thought. _For your crimes._

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	6. Suki

**Suki – Charge**

They would not take her warriors. She refused to let them. They could steal her clothes, her dignity, her identity. But she would not let them hurt her warriors.

The Fire Nation princess snapped orders at her two lackeys before walking away. "Execute them" was all she said.

The shorter girl seemed reluctant; her eyes chased the leader with a look of despair. The tall one, who had not changed facial expressions since the beginning of the battle, simply removed a short dagger from her sleeve.

Suki charged her, completely defenseless.

The girl turned just in time to see her running. She pointed the dagger outward on impulse.

It plunged into Suki's stomach, spilling redness down the fronts of both of them. The dagger fell to the grass and the Fire Nation girl grabbed Suki's shoulders, leading her to the ground.

Her voice was hoarse, "I wasn't- I wasn't. Oh my god. I wasn't going to kill you. Oh my god." Her once-dull eyes bore fearfully into Suki's. She was trying to stop the bleeding, but the dagger had done its work well.

Suki heard the other girl begin to cry, but she was losing the ability to perceive sound. Coldness was the only thing she could feel. The tall girl's lips still formed words. Suki thought she said, "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry." But she wasn't sure. The daylight was so dark.

The Kyoshi Warrior watched her blood spill out until she could see nothing at all. Before she died, she felt very sorry for the dagger girl. It seemed that she had never killed someone before.

When the princess returned, Mai was leaning over the leader of the warriors. She was sobbing, still trying to stop the blood flow of the dead girl.

_One down_, Azula thought.

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A/N: Mai with emotions? Tell me what you think.


	7. Iroh

A/N: I honestly thought Iroh would die at some point during the series, but I'm so happy he didn't. I love that guy. 3

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**Iroh – Son**

The Dai Li separated Zuko and Iroh late in the night. They surrounded them with stone walls and rumbling earth until it was very clear that to escape they must run solo. Zuko fled to Ba Sing Se, hoping to avoid attack in the crowded buildings. The Dai Li did not follow him.

Iroh stayed far away from the city and did his best not to kill the Dai Li agents. They were sons of someone, after all. He battled nearly a dozen before they took him to his knees.

He did not realize that their directive was to kill him.

They launched Iroh from the ground, off a cliff, and watched him crash against the rocks below. His body lay in a heap, green robes laced in some places with blood. They left him there in the night, not bothering to make sure he was dead. No one could survive long from a fall of that height.

The next morning Zuko frantically searched for his uncle. He called out in fear, rushing through trees and rocks until he saw a body lying at the bottom of a cliff. His stomach twisted.

"Uncle!" he cried, voice cracking.

The older man was shallowly breathing; his face was red from the scorching sun. Zuko gently cradled his head and tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

"Uncle, I'm so sorry I left you. I thought they would chase me- I thought-"

He stopped speaking as Iroh lifted his fingers to his scar. His hands shook. "My son, my son," said the Dragon of the West. "Be strong, my Zuko."

And there, lying in the dust with his nephew-son, Iroh died.

A wordless scream enveloped Zuko as he clutched the body of the only father he knew. He wept like a child.

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	8. Sokka

**Sokka – Nameless**

_How cruel_ _to be killed by a nameless soldier_, thought Sokka. _I'm a hero in this land. I'm helping defeat the Phoenix King. I'm the non-bender mastermind._

_And I'm dying on this battlefield, alone and afraid. _

A tall Fire Nation soldier had swung a thin blade across Sokka's throat and continued his berserker's path without a backward glance. It had been too sudden for the Water Tribe boy to react.

But earlier Sokka had been hurdling fallen warriors, throwing his boomerang, and pushing past enemies with his sword. Not anymore. He was facing the sky on the side of a heap of bodies and tasting the blood that welled in his nose and mouth.

Mostly he was disappointed. No one saw Sokka fall. No one called out for him to survive. No one even knew where he was. Sokka prayed that they wouldn't find his body. Too much blood would frighten Katara. He didn't want her to see him like this.

His fading mind flashed to Suki and Toph and Aang and Yue and Momo and Appa and even Zuko. He wanted to be found. Sokka wanted someone to hold him close and tell him it would be alright even though that was a lie. He wanted his mother and father.

The tears rolled unnoticed from his eyes, but he could feel his body tensing uncontrollably. He shook as a spasm rocked his body until his armor made clinking noises.

Other soldiers from both sides passed by him without stopping. Sokka tried to call out, but his vocal chords were severed. Blood spattered across his face.

_A nameless soldier_, he thought. _I deserve a better death. I'm a hero. _

His last feeling was of deep shame: he was not a hero.

_Heroes don't die alone._

Sokka's blue armor stopped clinking.

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	9. Mai

A/N: This features Maiko, so don't get upset if it isn't your favorite ship. Read and review.

**Mai-Choke**

The steam from the tea flowed gracefully between Mai's long fingers. This was her favorite part of being with Zuko. The domestic side of her was rare, but exceptionally devoted when it appeared: she loved nothing more than bringing him and Iroh tea when they met on the veranda of the palace. It was peaceful and routine, but never boring.

The trio sat together in the morning sunlight, not yet drinking the tea, until Iroh remembered a scroll sitting in his chamber that he wanted Zuko to read. The men left for just a moment, politely excusing themselves, and Mai bowed her head with a thin smile.

_Boys_, she thought. _They can never remember anything important._

She nursed her tea, savoring the flavor in tiny sips. It was jasmine, one of Iroh's favorites. It surprised her that she became more thirsty as she continued to drink, no longer stopping to ease the pain of heat.

Feeling faint, Mai set her porcelain cup on the table very shakily and tried to stand up. She found that her dizziness had spread to her pounding head and her stomach contracted painfully.

_Poison? How? _She understood. _For the Fire Lord._

She swiped the tea onto the tiled ground, burning her hands. Mai stumbled after the men, tripping as she fell down the stairs. Her body began to sweat, but she could not bring herself to stand again. Pinkish foam formed at the corners of her mouth.

Mai, stretched on the staircase, convulsed and gripped her stomach. Her vision was blurred, but she could make out the shapes of Iroh and Zuko running toward her, spilling scrolls in the hallway.

"The tea," she choked. "P-poison." Her heart pounded so loudly that she couldn't hear their response.

She shuddered conclusively, thinking, _At least it was me. _

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	10. Lu Ten

**Lu Ten – Orders**

The sunset would have been beautiful except for the corpses. The battlefield was littered with dead soldiers, rotting in the evening light, waiting to be dragged away by their comrades.

Silhouetted by the orange rays, a young Fire Nation sergeant closed the eyes of his own soldiers. Lu Ten silently prayed for their wives and children, thinking that he was blessed to not have a family waiting for his return at home. He felt strangely calm when he was alone with the bodies.

He heard a crunch of leaves behind him, but did not turn around. Even enemies could agree that no war should continue between sunset and sunrise.

Lu Ten did not anticipate one of his own soldiers piercing his back with a short Earth Kingdom blade. He gasped, falling to his knees.

The soldier did not come into his view, but stood shaking behind him.

His voice was thin and wavering, "Sir, please forgive me, sir. It was an order, sir. It said-- it said that my family would be killed if I didn't-- the letter said I had to kill you. I had to-- my family would have been killed..." Choking, he fled, leaving the betrayed sergeant to die with his soldiers.

As the sun rose on the Fire Nation the next morning, Ozai received a scroll at his large desk.

He did not bother suppressing a smile when he read that his nephew had been gutted on the battlefield of Ba Sing Se.

Iroh was devastated. His only son was dead.

Ozai was pleased. His only competition was murdered. The Fire Nation crown belonged to him now. He leaned back in his chair, wondering why he let the boy live so long in the first place.

A well-written order had solved so many of his problems.

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A/N: I always thought there was more to Lu Ten's death than the show was explaining. Ozai had him killed in my opinion. Read and review.


	11. Aang

A/N: This one is more graphic and dark than I originally intended. I'll probably have to change the rating now, so read at your own risk.

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**Aang – Careful**

The final battle was monstrous and elegant. The Phoenix King fought the child Avatar until their bodies were incapable of more. A swift blaze of fire sent Aang driving into a rock, burning the skin of his stomach and arms. Attack after attack left the Airbender trying to defend himself, but unable to return the blows.

Even as Ozai battered and burned his body, Aang noticed that he was careful not to touch his face. When he summoned his lightning, the Firebender would let it crack harmlessly in the air before he would let it touch Aang's head. Confused and frightened, the Avatar State quickly took control of his body and allowed him to better fight the dictator.

Pressed against a canyon wall, Ozai's sharp eyes flitted expertly to the flying rocks, fire, water, and air that surrounded his target. He waited until the boy was very close before he lashed out with his lightning whip.

It seared across Aang's neck, melting his flesh like butter. The Avatar's body hit the ground before his head.

Ozai noticed that his arrows were still glowing even though they were severed.

He stood above the body, roaring and breathing fire. It was his victory, his crowning achievement. He engulfed the beheaded body in flames until it was ash.

But not his head. Ozai took the tattooed head in his large hands, not bothering to close the lids above the soft brown eyes.

When he returned to his capitol, he took a spear and rammed the skull into it. Ozai himself strung up the spear above the gates, clearly visible for the whole nation. His adversaries would see the head and know that he was their Phoenix King forever.

They would see that the last Airbender was finally dead. They would know he failed.

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	12. Katara

A/N: This story mentions the death of Aang from the previous chapter.

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**Katara – Witch **

Everyone was dead. She was the last of Ozai's adversaries. Her brother, her father, Toph, Suki, Zuko, Iroh, Smellerbee, Longshot, and everyone else were all dead.

But one was worse than the others. She had seen his head on the gates, barely shaking in the wind like some parody of a flag. Ozai had defeated him, beheaded him, and made a travesty of the Avatar. Aang seemed to stare down at her, no longer able to smile, and beg for retribution.

Katara was driven to madness. She dreamed of bloodbending the Phoenix King and she set out to do so. But she was easily caught, tortured, and eventually put on trial. Her hair fell in curtains around her bruised face as she heard the high judge proclaim her guilty of attempted murder of the great King Ozai and numerous other counts of traitorous actions. Her sentence was death by the Phoenix King's choosing. Until then, she would remain imprisoned.

The soldiers beat her endlessly. She could not resist the gnawing urge to bloodbend them. It brought her strange comfort to see her guards bashing their heads against stone walls without knowing why. Soon they realized that the Water Witch was cursing them, and they tightly bound her arms and legs.

Perhaps finding irony in her situation, Ozai sentenced her to a public drowning. His soldiers wrapped a sign around her neck that read, "The Water Witch will learn to swim." They tied stones to her feet and threw her unceremoniously off the edge of the pier.

Sinking beneath the calm waves, she made a decision. She was tired of being alone. Her body ached as much as her spirit and she was disgusted with this life. Now she was only a witch to these people.

Katara took a deep breath.

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	13. Ty Lee

**Ty Lee – Anatomy**

Over the brachiocephalic artery there is a very special nerve that can stop someone's heart. It runs down the neck, near the esophagus, and connects fibrously to the pericardium. It is called the phrenic nerve and cardiac arrhythmias occur when pressure is applied too heavily to it.

Ty Lee did not understand the science behind this nerve. She did, however, know what it felt like beneath her fingers. She knew that only a quick press was required to stop a healthy man's heart and that it never seemed to be painful.

She knew that her guards would soon drag her into the metal room that resounded with screaming. She knew that they would not touch her, except to strap her in a chair, and then they would drag Mai in, bound just as tightly. They would beat Mai, often even if she was unconscious, and listen to Ty Lee shrieking.

As she felt her neck, pressing lightly in some places, Ty Lee wondered if they had already killed Mai. In fact, she had not seen her old friend moving in a few days.

In silence, she prayed that the taller girl had already passed. Azula's controlled torture was far too cruel for her to endure, and Ty Lee earnestly believed that Mai wanted to die at the end.

Just like she wanted to die now. Her hands traced down to her heart. Her big, stupid, pink-aura heart.

Her mind and fingers wandered aimlessly to her mysterious phrenic nerve. She believed it would be a pinkish color. A tiny smile touched her lips as she forced her fingertips downward sharply.

It wasn't entirely painless, but she was willing to accept that. Later the guards found her, head lolling to the side, and wondered if she died of a broken heart.

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	14. Zuko

A/N- Series Finale spoilers!

This is another case of "what if" in Avatarverse. I know that Zuko and Katara teamed up to fight Azula, but I wanted to write this as if it were only him. It's like a reworking of Chapter 5 (Azula's death) but without Katara.

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**Zuko - Redirected **

Azula's crazed face stared down at Zuko, who had been struck one too many times by her prodigious lightning. It was becoming increasingly difficult to redirect his sister's blue flames as well.

"Fight me! Hurt me, coward!" she shrieked. "Burn me, brother!" Her long hair was loose and whipping against her face as she stood beneath the strength of Sozin's Comet.

_Brother? _He thought, _She hasn't called me brother since she was six._

As they fought, Zuko was reminded of a performance they had seen in the Royal Palace. His mother and father were still there, and he hadn't been scarred yet. It was a story about the slaying of dragons and of great burnings, so the young prince and princess had been frightened. In the darkness of the theater, Azula whispered, "Make it stop, brother." She pressed her forehead to his shoulder and he replied, "Don't worry, sister. I'm here."

She never mentioned that play again, and Zuko knew she would deny her fear if he ever brought it up. But it was the only real fond moment she had ever given him, and he cherished it.

He knelt at her feet, fingertips aching, and the banished prince watched his younger sister summon her lightning over his head. She pointed it at his neck with a demonic grin.

"I love you, Azula," he said. And her lightning flew.

He screamed, unable to control his energy properly, and threw his fingers at her chest. In that brief moment of time he was able to see her surprised face. Azula looked childlike and afraid, just as she had been in the theater. Her redirected lightning traveled right back into her heart.

They collapsed together, in a distortion of an embrace, with Azula's golden eyes pressed into Zuko's protective shoulder in death.

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	15. Teo

A/N: This would take place in Season 1 when the Northern Air Temple was attacked.

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**Teo - Fall**

No one saw him climb aboard the airship. His thin arms dragged his thinner legs until he found a suitable corner to unload the secret bag he had slung across his back. He took out a simple metal container with a short fuse attached to the bottom. It was Teo's first and last attempt at a bomb.

They had taken his temple, destroyed his inventions, killed his father. The cowards left him crippled in his chair as they ascended in the airships his own Mechanist-father had created. He rushed to his workshop and assembled a makeshift bomb.

The Fire Nation soldiers did not see the young man and his flying glider crash against the side of their balloon. Teo dropped inside, hidden among the gears and switches that he had helped design. He admired his father's work and said a short farewell to the masterpiece.

The bomb was heavy in his hands. Without hesitation, he lit the fuse and pulled himself over the side of the airship. The rushing air ripped at his body as he fell.

_I will not die by fire, _he consoled himself. _Don't burn me. Let me fall. Let me fly again._

Through his twisting hair and glinting goggles, Teo saw the war balloon explode above him. He smiled at the flaming sky, knowing that his sabotage worked. His little body spun; his arms outstretched like wings.

_Defeated by a cripple_, he grinned. _Teo, the crippled Airbender. _

The boy flew through the sky, laughing and illuminated by his own fire. His descent was swift over his burning home, the Northern Air Temple. His last breath was sweet, filled with pure air, untainted by the smoke. The wind made a beautiful song in his ears, a symphony for another child of the air who was being sacrificed.

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	16. Jet

A/N: This is canon to Jet's death in _Lake Laogi_. I've always thought that he was one of the most complex characters in the series, and I was sorry to see him go. Read and review.

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**Jet – Liar **

Every time his heart beats he can feel his ribs poke against it. It's a strange feeling because it means that part of his body is in the wrong place. His lungs seem smaller, too.

Jet is afraid, so he decides to do what it was always easy for him to do. (Lie.)

"I'll be alright," he moans. (Liar.)

His friends are all so desperate to fix him, to heal his body. But his spirit is broken. He betrayed good people. He told the truth to the wrong ones. All he has for his friends is… nothing. Nothing good at all. (Lies, lies.) He could only offer them an apology and quick death.

The others have left: the Avatar, Katara, her brother, and the blind girl. She could tell. (You are a liar.) Her eyes were empty, but she could hear his heart. She felt his ribs all disjointed and skewed. Jet knew that she could see what he was.

_Why did I do this?_

(Tell another lie.) _For revenge. For my family. _

Smellerbee is crying now. Longshot notches an arrow.

_Because I didn't understand._

"Forgive me," he says to his Freedom Fighters. "Please." And they nod. They understand what will become of their charismatic leader.

He repeats these words two more times, but he doesn't understand why they surprise him. Perhaps because they are sincere. (No more lies.)

Jet wants them to know that he is sorry. His mistakes cost them all dearly. He is shuddering and wishing that he could have changed his ways. (Liar, liar.) Jet is wishing that he had died with his parents. Here, beneath the lake, he is suffocating.

_But, _he thinks,_ they are safe. Avatar Aang lives. Katara lives. I hurt them, but I helped them, too. _

(Even liars can speak the truth.)

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	17. Sozin

A/N: Foul language warning. But, what the heck. It's already rated M, so that's not a huge surprise.

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**Sozin – Bastard**

For many years he had meant to count his bastard children. As far as he knew, they numbered 13. Plus his only legitimate son, the recently appointed Fire Lord. The number of women he had slept with seemed to elude his failing mind. Perhaps eight or nine, not counting the Fire Lady.

They all stood around his bed, not acting as his children, but as servants of various professions. The maid, a tall young woman now, reminded him terribly of Roku with her cautious, gentle features. And the amber-eyed child holding his wash pan looked just as Sozin had looked at nine years old. A guard, his first bastard son, had the harsh lips of Sozin's father- the same lips that dreadfully tightened when the Fire Lord let his Avatar friend die.

_How sick_.

It was extremely painful for the old ruler to look at the gathering in his room. They could not know all of his secrets, but they knew enough. He could almost hear their thoughts bounce around his pillows.

_Tyrantmurderersickfucktraitormonsterbastard._

It was his new name and it fit him well. Not father, not king, not even master. He was a god among men, the beast behind the empire, the mind behind the massacre. It was plain to him that his legacy was bloodshed, not a family.

_They don't know they're my children_, he thought. _Why do I feel regret?_

Sozin said nothing. He thought of his childhood, his friend Roku, his young wife, and the first time his son smiled. But in the back of his mind, there were muddy images of forgotten children standing behind their mothers, and of a single man dying on a volcano. He lurched forward, practically foaming, before flopping back to the bed.

There was not a single teardrop in the room.

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	18. Longshot

**Longshot – Archer **

_Did an arrow just snap my bowstring?_ thought Longshot calmly. _No one could hit something so small. _

He heard the soldiers approach and Smellerbee's ragged breathing as she jumped from the branches above him.

"What happened?" she screamed. "Your bow- what happened to your bow?!" Her voice pitched uncomfortably in his ears. "They're coming, Longshot! Run, we have to run!"

Her little body tried to pull him along the dusty trail, but her efforts suddenly ceased. She pressed against him, knees buckling. Over her head, he could see an arrow with a reddish-orange tail sticking out of her back.

_Yu Yan archers. They were so silent._

Mindlessly he let her drop to the ground_._ Her eyes remained open. He looked at her body and decided to give a last stand, if only for her. He set off sprinting into the forest toward the Yu Yan.

Longshot crept behind a small one and pulled an arrow from his quiver. He drove it straight into his target's neck, eliciting a scream. The archer, a young woman, shrieked as she fell in the leaves.

He grabbed her bow, and ignored the first arrow that struck his abdomen.

_Where's the leader? _

The Yu Yan tore even closer, following the sounds of their fallen comrade.

_I'm an archer, too. _

His sharp eyes spotted the one he wanted- the Yu Yan commander, who looked no different than his subordinates, but for the inverted triangle on his headband.

_It's a long shot. _

He grinned. A second archer hit him in the thigh, but he drew himself up to full height.

The stolen bow served its purpose when the Freedom Fighter's arrow imbedded itself right in the man's forehead triangle. He dropped instantly.

The remaining archers unloaded on him.

Longshot, now riddled with arrows, fell without a sound. He smiled contentedly.

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A/N: I'm not sure that I characterized Longshot right. He seems sorta dead (no pun intended.) Let me know what you think.


	19. Yue

**Yue – Release**

She resented the moon for a long time. She furiously cursed or wept when she was alone because she knew what her fate would be when the Fire Nation attacked. There was no way around it: she was trapped.

More than that she hated her pale hair. It was unnatural. It was inhuman. It was not _hers_.

Yue had always been a benevolent girl, but her life was borrowed and she would have to return it soon. It made her bitter to the core, although she was very aware of her selfishness.

She didn't care. She didn't want to die.

The Avatar had finally returned! Her parents were just beginning to respect her! She had even found a friend in Katara, and more than a friend in Sokka. But now, in the grotto, it did not matter. Her happiness was a small issue to consider.

One of her pretty fish had been roasted by the Firebender.

Yue felt it immediately: the darkness, the fear, the emptiness within her body.

In that instant, she gave up her reservations and hatred. She gave up her right to happiness, and her will to live.

Kissing the boy and letting go was easier than she thought.

Her spirit tugged away- begging for release- and she stared solemnly at the icy walls surrounding her. She could feel her body dying: her heart slowed, her blood ran cold, and her mind spun in dizzying spirals. No, not spirals. Circles. And that was the end.

Her life was circles now, an endless dancing cycle in the sky.

She looked at her new surroundings, and did something akin to weeping.

It took her several moments to understand that she was free now. Her only cage had been her mortality.

Yue is the moon. And the moon is free.

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A/N: Do I spy a (nearly) happy ending? Also, I was going to stop at Chapter 20 with Ozai. Are there any requests for another death scene? Reviews are welcome.


	20. Ozai

**Ozai - Unlucky**

Four hours ago, Fire Prince Zuko had been burned. His father now stood near a wide window, contemplating his subjects below as they passed. He wondered how many had already heard of his son's scarred face.

He did not bother turning around when the sound of shuffling robes met his ears. It was Iroh.

"Once I believed I was the luckiest man in the world," his older brother stated. "It may have been true then, but I feel the title goes to you now."

Ozai smiled. He loved when Iroh pretended to be wise. "Please elaborate," he said condescendingly.

The older man stepped closer to him. He said, "You have a kingdom at your disposal, a beautiful wife that would follow you to the ends of the earth, a daughter that craves your happiness, and a son that would die for your approval.

"Yet here you stand," intoned Iroh, "wasting it all."

The king chuckled lightly. "All of this for the boy," he sniggered. "He deserved exactly what happened. Do not doubt my judgment, brother, especially when it comes to my own family."

"You have no family."

He turned to face his accuser, "Your story is just breaking my heart, Iroh."

"Mine, too."

And without warning a flaming fist crashed into Ozai's face. He howled-- sounding like the little animals he had burned as a child. Flames consumed everything above his shoulders.

The pain exploded against him, forcing his body backwards against the window with a momentum it could not contain. Ozai shattered through.

He fell like a comet to the courtyard below, screaming the entire way down. The fire was not extinguished easily, and the body was unidentified.

The new Fire Lord watched from the window for a moment, fist still stinging.

He left to check on his nephew.

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	21. Gyatso

A/N: This death is also canon. It takes place at the fall of the Southern Air Temple.

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**Gyatso – Sunset**

"How does the sun know when to go down?" Aang had once asked. "Does it go to sleep?" The young boy had stared up at the monk with his lips folded in a curious line.

Gyatso said nothing for a moment, but replied, "The sun must die every night so that the moon can be born. After the moon rises, it lives it's life in full and repays the sun by dying as well. And the sunrise returns more powerful than it was the day before. This is the way of the world, Aang."

The eight-year old frowned and mumbled, "I don't want it to die." His face contorted with sadness.

"Ah, young monk!" laughed Gyatso. "The sun is happy to die for the moon, for how else can it be reborn?" He picked Aang up by the arms and swung him in a circle, dancing and laughing.

But Aang was gone now, and the Firebenders had taken his place.

Now, Gyatso saw the destruction of his home.

Now, Gyatso watched his friends die.

Now, Gyatso fought without mercy.

He spun and twisted faster than any of the soldiers, not pausing once to soften his blows. The men fell beneath his open palms like leaves from a tree.

The monk sprinted to the sanctuary with a pack of Firebenders at his heels. One had managed to slice a long sword against his calf, and he fell against a wall. Gyatso was burned several times in the onslaught, and finally struck through the heart with a spear.

His final movement created a lethal wave of air, killing every other man in the room.

Before his eyes closed, he prayed that his little moon was safe, hiding in the far reaches of the sky. Gyatso prayed that the sun would rise again.

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	22. Hakoda

**Hakoda – Captured**

"What's your son's name?"

Hakoda did not grace the Fire Nation Captain with an answer. He fidgeted with the rope around his hands while his ship and crew sunk beneath the waves.

The Firebender smiled, nudging his prisoner with his boot. "I see. You're stubborn. I completely respect that, so for the sake of our conversation I will refer to your son as Zhao Junior." He nodded his head thoughtfully, "Does that sound good to you?"

He pulled a thin knife from his sleeve, dragging it across Hakoda's weatherworn cheek. It left a red trail that dripped to his collar. The Water Tribe warrior did not flinch.

"I'll find him. And I think I'll tell Zhao Junior that your ships were no match for mine." He leaned forward as if to reveal a secret, "This is true. And then I'll tell him that you surrendered. Or, no. Let's say you tried to escape in the water, like a coward."

The blade sunk into Hakoda's shoulder, eliciting a gasp he could not contain. Zhao pulled it out, cleaning the blood in his captive's hair.

"I'll tell your boy that you wept and begged, 'No, Lord Zhao, please! I'll do anything, just don't burn me! I'll be your slave!'" He mimicked these actions, kneeling closely to Hakoda.

He whispered, "And your dear son will know that his father died on his knees."

Dizzy, Hakoda swayed as he laughed. He reared back and spat between Zhao's eyes.

"My children can spot a bad liar," he said.

Zhao hissed and sunk the dagger into his head with a wet crunch. Hakoda hunched sideways.

He was furious that he had garnered no information from the man. So he gritted his teeth, hurling the body overboard. He wiped the spit from his face with a grimace.

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A/N: I was waiting for a Zhao/Hakoda battle during the entire first season. Boo for Zhao's death by that Aangfishmonster.


	23. Momo

A/N: Thanks to Miyiku for suggesting this character.

I think I sort of disturbed myself writing this. Fair warning.

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**Momo – Present **

The first box came early in the afternoon. It was a soft orange color with a pale pink ribbon tied around the top. A messenger from Ba Sing Se delivered it to Sokka with a smile, pleased that he tipped him fairly.

The second box was waiting on the doorstep of the inn where they were staying the night. Katara walked up the stairs, examining it curiously.

As she walked into their room, she saw that Toph was just beginning to open a package identical to hers, looking very excited.

Aang had received his box from a small boy in a nearby courtyard, unsure of who would be giving him a present. The child shrugged and said, "A lady said it was for you." He ran off to leave the Avatar with his gift.

Accidentally cutting his finger on the paper, Sokka cursed under his breath. He read a note inside the box that said, _I believe you misplaced this. _He looked inside.

Katara opened both girls' boxes and read the notes aloud to Toph. The first said, _You should be more careful._ The second said, _I'm always watching. _

Toph pulled out a furry, ropelike object from her box. She asked, "What is this?"

When Katara looked at the contents of her box, a small armless torso, she dropped it immediately and threw up the contents of her lunch. Toph crawled over to touch the body, weeping when she understood.

Sokka stared, face pale and fists clenched, at the white-winged arms he received.

It was Aang, caught it a staring contest with Momo's bodiless face, who made no movement. His brown eyes bore into his pet's glossy ones. And then he screamed.

At his feet, a scrap of paper settled on the bricks.

The note said two words: _Love, Azula._

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	24. Ursa

A/N: Special thanks to Rawr Power for the character suggestion. This could be seen as the sequel to Azulon's death from an earlier chapter. Read and review!

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**Ursa - Promise**

In the night, Ozai left his empty bedchambers to find his wife. His footsteps were soundless on the tiled floor of the palace, only crunching leaves when he walked in the outskirts of the nearby forest.

He saw her slim form curled beneath their Redbark tree, where they had lain and loved as newlyweds. It was the only place they shared completely.

Ursa's hair blew gently in the breeze as a small flask sat empty at her side. She spoke before he came into her sight, "You told me once to never make you choose between me and your throne."

Ozai sat beside her, and she positioned her head in his lap. "I knew what you would choose." She stiffened, "You know I killed your father. I stabbed him, and poisoned myself."

His fingers traced the lines of her pale cheeks.

"Ozai, swear you will not kill the children. Swear that Zuko and Azula will be safe in your care," she said weakly.

He stroked her face, saying, "I swear it upon our love."

Ursa shuddered and shook her head. Her tortured eyes stared at him, "Swear upon your throne, my sweet."

The Fire Lord paused to lift his gaze from her dying body. He saw the moon hanging over them, waiting to witness his promise.

"I swear upon my throne."

She nodded with a grimacing smile. "I knew before we started that it would end this way." Her breath fluttered as she clung to him, gasping into his chest.

Ozai said nothing but pulled her body closer, cradling her until her eyes closed. He kissed her cold lips tenderly and set her against their Redbark tree.

Standing, a stream of fire shot from his fists, and he let the whole forest burn until the morning sky turned gray with smoke.

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	25. Appa

A/N: This takes place during Sozin's Comet when Sokka, Toph, and Suki are with Appa. It's Appa's POV, so bear with the strange writing.

Reviews are always welcome.

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**Appa – Singe **

He hears boy with long sword and girl with no shoes barking at him. He feels bright painful lights singeing his fur, so he rolls to the side, protecting his underbelly.

The weight of his master's friends shifts, and he corrects because he is afraid to drop them from so high. They are only calves and would be smashed on the stone ground. Appa roars, calling for his little master, but the only response is more hot pain at his tail.

His shiny, light-laugh master is away, so Appa carries the others until he returns. The gray sky is hard to navigate, and he does not see the sharp shooting-spike until it embeds in his neck. His wind is trapped now, both beneath his body and inside of it.

The ground is coming closer and Appa falls as gently as he can. His tiny calves are dazed from the crash, and they cannot defend themselves from the fire monsters. Blood sprays as he bellows, pushing back the predators. His three small ones are trying to fight for him, but he jumps in front to block them from the fire hunters. And finally, the male pulls them away and leaves Appa to ravage his enemies.

And he is a beast.

He bites and claws and crushes. He blasts more and more away even though it hurts his tail, but they surround him in the end. They make a fire cage to stop his attacks.

The neck-stick is making him slow like gliding birds, and the flames start to eat up his flesh. As he is burning, he tries to cry out for his little master. Where is his friend? He needs him to stop the burning. He needs his dear boy with soft hands and sweet fruit.

Appa will die without him.

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	26. Bumi

**Bumi – Retrospect **

The streets of Omashu had turned red sometime during the evening. Bodies that had not been burned were beginning to pile in the ditches, and the smell of rotten flesh attracted scavenging animals to the city.

Bumi pressed his head against a rock, wondering why he woke up in the first place. The Firebenders had defeated him, and his skull smashed against a building hard enough for them to leave him for dead. But here he was, wide awake and bleeding.

The mail chutes were being shattered in the distance and the King thought it was a terrible waste to raze something so useful, but that was the way of fire: mindless destruction. His eyes closed to shut out the sight of his poor kingdom.

_I should have acted sooner,_ he thought.

A few moments later, snuffling stirred him to open his eyes. Flopsie licked at his feet with a forlorn look, and Bumi tried to grin at his dear pet. He could not raise his hands to pet him, but Flopsie lay next to him anyway.

"Good boy," he croaked. "When I go, try to find our friends, Flopsie. Protect them for me." The animal whined as if he understood, and the King closed his eyes again.

_Perhaps_ _Aang will avenge me_, he thought. _No sons of my own to seek revenge, but my old friend trapped in a child's body. _

He could hear the Fire Nation soldiers and agents of the Dai Li arguing about something foolish. Their angry shouts saddened him more than the pain in his body; heavy tears leaked away from his wide eyes.

_Can't even get along when they're allies. _

Flopsie scooted closer.

_What a strange world to be leaving._ His dry lips cracked as he groaned, "It always was a silly war."

Flopsie howled.

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A/N: Poor guys.

I think I only have one more chapter left in me, but tell me if you can think of anyone that deserves a written death. Otherwise, Roku will be where we end.

Thanks again to everyone who has continued reading and reviewing after such sporadic updates. I owe you big time.


	27. Roku

A/N: This is canon to Roku's death on the volcano, and is the last of the "In Which We Die" drabbles.

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**Roku – Nothing**

As far as messiahs go, Roku believes he is a failure. His frail frame is sprawled on the volcano's black ground, inhaling toxins and ash. It feels almost like he is drowning in the graying landscape.

He looks back on what he has accomplished and thinks that the world will not stop turning because he is dead; the earth will not shake with sorrow at his loss; the four nations will not cry out in dread for his spirit to return.

No one will know.

His wife, of course, is an exception. As is Sozin. He assumes that his children will find out soon enough, and they will tell their grandchildren, and so on and so forth. But for the most influential man on the planet, his death will be essentially worthless.

Roku feels greatly abandoned by the other Avatars. Where are they now that he's dying? Why have they left one of their own hollow with fear? He is too weak to enter the Avatar State to ask them. He is too weak to even stand.

He does not need to be brave anymore.

Weeping, Roku says a tiny prayer that the next Avatar will make a bigger difference in the world. The old man is wringing his wrinkled hands, blubbering like an idiot with his last breaths.

He is so sorry that his life is meaningless. He is full of regrets: people that needed him so selfishly denied, places he neglected so he could stay with his family, friends that became mortal enemies under circumstances he could have changed.

As his mind goes, his nihilistic nature thinks that it doesn't matter anyway. In the future no one will remember these tragic events.

When he thinks back over his life, Roku thinks that he has done nothing at all.

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A/N2: Thank you so much for sticking with me through the course of these semi-drabbles. You readers and reviewers are amazing.

What were your favorite deaths? I think my top three were Sokka, Teo, and Momo, but I really enjoyed writing Jet as well. Let me know how you feel about them!


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